1
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
every year, we make up a basket of food at Thanksgiving for a poor family in the neighborhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
land that is too poor for farming
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
a poor crop because of the drought this year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in terrible
of low quality
the poor workmanship of the goods from that store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
poor quality
a poor judgment
an unwise judgment
a lousy judgment
a questionable judgment
a horrible judgment
an improper judgment
a poor performance
a weak performance
an unacceptable performance
a negative performance
an inadequate performance
a horrendous performance
a poor condition
a deteriorated condition
a shabby condition
a sub-par condition
a shoddy condition
a pitiful condition
poor nutrition
unbalanced nutrition
improper nutrition
deficient nutrition
unhealthy nutrition
insufficient nutrition
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of poor
The rain could cause some flooding, especially along low-lying or poor drainage areas, according to the National Weather Service in Brownsville, Texas.
There will be more chances for tropical systems to develop this month.
—
Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
These pups might also experience behavioral issues, including the risk of being spoiled and poor socialization.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
Houston’s passing attack has been suffering from receiver depletion and poor pass blocking.
—Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 2025
In the dining room of The Brother Benno Center, a refuge for the area’s poor and homeless, more than 100 people gathered recently to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Rev. Charles Wright, who has been a spiritual guide there for four decades.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
These pups might also experience behavioral issues, including the risk of being spoiled and poor socialization.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
Houston’s passing attack has been suffering from receiver depletion and poor pass blocking.
—Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 14 Aug. 2025
In the dining room of The Brother Benno Center, a refuge for the area’s poor and homeless, more than 100 people gathered recently to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Rev. Charles Wright, who has been a spiritual guide there for four decades.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
-
Having two of the three most impoverished cities, especially when those cities are experiencing booming population growth, is its own kind of economic miracle, if an ignominious one.—
Kathryn Anne Edwards,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The eye-popping dollar figures in the statements contrast with everything else happening on an impoverished island, where people spend much of their time without electricity and many still depend on meager food rations to survive.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Exploring Indonesia—an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands—over a decade has led me to some truly jaw-dropping beaches, some gloriously desolate, others vibrantly alive with international travelers, expats, and locals.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Aug. 2025
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Meanwhile, two days before the double murder, a 21-year-old man was shot and wounded around 3:30 a.m. on the same desolate block, which is about a mile and a half from where Sanchez was killed, cops said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Unfortunately, records are scarce due to the truck’s age.—
Erik S. Hanley,
jsonline.com,
18 Aug. 2025
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Firms were willing to incur resources to bring new graduates up the learning curve when software labor was scarce.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The critiques have only intensified with each year that passes since the team’s last Super Bowl victory in 1996, with Jones calling the drought unacceptable at the NFL owners meeting earlier this year.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Aug. 2025
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Just totally unacceptable and mind-blowing for that kind of mistake.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Whether your team is in the middle of a winning run or mired in terrible form, five minutes looking at the standings can convince you that a hundred different futures are possible.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
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While the latter is known for its legendarily terrible English localization, both of these were highly innovative horizontal scrolling shmups for their time.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This negative sentiment was also felt on both sides of the Atlantic, given their pitiful plummet in popularity.—
Brie Stimson , Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 July 2025
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For their part, France produced a pitiful display of football, which deserved nothing less than elimination.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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Campaigning is expensive, so if the people you are elected to represent are going broke, special interest groups fill the fiscal void.—
Christopher Eric Bouchat,
Baltimore Sun,
29 July 2025
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All the while Lucy finds herself in a love triangle torn between a wealthy finance man and a broke, aspiring actor.—
Yola Robert,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
For the visual effects supervisors who were tasked with bringing the arctic horrors to life, their challenge was adding depth and value to a barren landscape.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
18 Aug. 2025
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Deep in the interior lies Askja, a vast volcanic caldera surrounded by a barren lava desert.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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